I know the whole hippie vegan thing is very stereotypical, but I guess I’m a little stereotypical… unintentionally. I got dreadlocks for the style, not for spirituality or any other reason, but now that I’m transitioning to a vegan lifestyle I think I might be a little bit hippie. 
I’ve even been eyeing this bag 
and these clothes! 
I can’t remember the last time I purchased non-black clothes. What is happening to me?? I’ve been loving the vegan diet, too. I have “Vegan Sunday” where I cook a bunch of food and eat the leftovers all week. I’ve been amazed at how much of the food I used to eat I can still eat just by changing a few simple ingredients. I love cooking a meal and sharing it with friends and family who are astonished when I tell them it’s vegan. No, it doesn’t taste like dirt. How many of my meals do you have to eat before you stop acting surprised? My Pinterest is packed with vegan recipes and after I try them I label them “~Tried it, delicious!”, or not so delicious.
Onward!
My hypothesis about going to bed with wet hair to make dreads thicker has resulted in nothing except sleeping on a wet bed… which sucks. But it does make my hair look nice and poofy the next day. My roots have been doing fabulous things, though! Almost every one of them is getting very loopy, which I think is more likely to thicken my hair than sleeping on it wet. I have still been trying to combine some of them to cover up my cowlicks and empty spots. Rubber bands are bad for dreads, but I’m not sure how else to combine them. Some of them join well and others just refuse.
I have started wearing them down in public on good hair days. I can’t wait for them to get long and luscious! I know a big part of their weirdness is the variable lengths. I still have dreads that don’t reach my neck and a few that I can’t get into a pony tail. When they’re long enough I’ll cut them to make them a more even length. I think that will improve the overall look, but it will probably be many years before they are long enough.
So many short dreads!
before vs. 1 year vs. 2 years
Sarah's Dreadlock Journey 
Hi there,
I love love love your dreads!
I’ve just discovered that, even as a thin, fine, straight-haired person I could possibly have dreads; yours are an inspiration!
I actually rather like the uneven lengths, makes it look much more natural.
Would you mind if I linked to your dread posts here and there (hair care forum etc) to show what I hope mine to maybe look like eventually?
Hedera, I think that would be great! Good luck on your dreadlock journey! I’d love to see your blog when it’s up. 🙂
Sarah, Thank you!
Hmm, I asked the site to send me a notification if there were any other comments, but I guess that did not work.
I’m not really planning on starting a blog though – mainly writing about the journey on a (long-)haircareforum.
May I ask how many dreads you have?
I really like the size and the spacing!
I have an appointment (not with a ‘salon’, just a private person who starts & maintains dreads sometimes) to get them started about a month from now; I don’t really have anyone nearby who can help and I don’t trust myself with the sections etc at the back of my head.
Hmmm I guess you can’t trust wordpress you send notifications. I rarely log onto here, sorry for the late reply!
Well it would be fun to see some kind of timeline. I know I look at mine now and then when I need confirmation that they’re going to keep looking better. It’s also fun to see how much they’ve changed. I have 56 dreads. I hope your appointment goes well and I hope she doesn’t use nasty wax. Good luck 🙂
Hi! I am a fellow dreadie and love your blogging! Your dreads are looking more and more amazing as time goes by.
I too want Gal April’s Lion Mane haha. We can only hope that with time we will reach that stage. 🙂
Good luck. Looking forward to more blogs.
Laurie
Thank you! I love them more as they get older.
I think at some point we just have to accept that we will never be Gal April and love our hair for what it is. It’s still pretty awesome, right? If you’ve got a timeline you should share it. I’d love to see it!
How about an update? 🙂 my timeline is at http://lauriefairylocks.weebly.com . I just hit one year and still have to post a blog!
Laurie, I love your journey! I love seeing how much they’ve thickened and matured. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hello Sarah,
Let me start off my saying that your journey gives me much hope. I have been struggling with thin, fine hair for my entire life. It has always been one of (if not my biggest) insecurities. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized just how important self-love truly is. I have learned to accept my hair as a part of myself and my journey through life this time around 🙂 That in itself has shown me much more about myself and the people I have chosen to surround myself with than I could have imagined.
Now, my biggest insecurity has become my biggest goal (pertaining to my appearance, I guess). I have been around dreadheads my entire life, coexisting with them and incredibly jealous of what they were able to achieve with their thick, plentiful heads of hair. I have spent many hours searching the internet and asking around for any answers to my mind boggling question, “Is dreading my lack of hair possible, or is my dream to have dread babies of my own something I must put on the shelf?” After stumbling upon your page, I must admit, I was filled with immense joy and hope for my own dread journey! Seeing the progression of your dreadies answers my question and I now know that no matter the amount of hair, dreads have a way of becoming a part of anyone’s life who truly wants to put in the work and have the patience necessary. I write to let you know how big of an impact you’ve had on my life and although I do not know you by any means, I feel it necessary to share with you that I will never forget you, Olan, Charlie and all the other little dudes and dudettes who have found a home on your crown.
I plan to begin my dreading journey within the next few months and wanted to know if you had any tips, advice, anything that will help with with the process. How long was your hair roughly when you started? Anything you would do differently? Anything you found that helped you along? Any advice at all for a gal as optimistic about dreadies as you were starting out?
Thank you,
Kaci West from the Granite State of New Hampshire
Kaci, thank you for your post. I’m sorry it took me so long to respond. I don’t find myself online a whole lot anymore. I’m so glad you’ve decided to get dreads and that my site has helped! I sometimes wonder why I keep the site up.
My hair was a little longer than my shoulders when I started, but it was very layered from years of abuse, just as it’s still layered.
If I could do it over again I would have done them myself, not used wax, and planned out my sections. What I dislike most about my hair is how much scalp I can see on the back of my head around my cowlicks and I think I could have done a better job of covering those up with proper sectioning.
What helped me the most was http://www.dreadlocktruth.com and looking through the timelines and asking questions. Also, making a timeline of my own so I could see how far I’ve come. It’s such a slow process it may seem like nothing is happening until you go through your photos and notice how much they’ve changed. That really kept me going.
As for advice, I think the hardest part of any dread journey is the first year. They’re going to look weird for a very long time. I didn’t really feel comfortable leaving mine down in public for about 2 years, which may not seem very long but it can feel like a long time when you’re not happy with your appearance. Do your best to be patient and imagine how lovely they’ll be in a year or so.
If you decide to make a timeline I’d love to see it! Good luck with your journey, girl! 🙂